Refrigerator ice rack construction



1933- R. T. SMITH 1,938,983

REFRIGERATOR ICE RACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 15, 1930 1N VENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 12, 1933 REFRIGERATOR ICE RACK CONSTRUCTION RussellT. Smith, Greenville, Mich., assignor to Gibson Refrigerator Mich, a corporation Company, Greenville, of Michigan Application December 15, 1930. Serial No. 502,334

1 Claim.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to ice racks for the same.

It has heretofore been the practice in the construction of refrigerators to provide a flat shelf upon which a block of ice is to be mounted, the shelf having near one end a drain pipe.

It is well known that the cooling effect in ice refrigerators varies in direct proportion with the exposed area of the ice block. Thus it has been found desirable to support the block of ice in such a manner that the greatest possible percentage of its total surface area be exposed to the air currents in the refrigerator so that the greatest possible efiiciency of cooling will occur.

An object of this invention, therefore, is an ice rack or ice support for refrigerators which supports the block of 'ice so that the bottom surface of the ice block as well as the other surfaces is exposed throughout practically its entire area, thus differing from other ice racks which so support the block that its bottom surface rests upon a sheet of metal and is therefore unexposed.

A further object is a rack of the character described above which provides a plurality of vertical channels or flues under the block of ice and thru which the air currents may pass, some of the air coming in contact with the bottom surface of the block.

A still further object is an ice rack comprising a plurality of fins set on edge and rigidly held together by suitable means, the spaces between the fins affording channels thru which air can flow under and against the bottom of the ice block.

A still further object is an ice rack including a plurality of vertically disposed fins disposed edgewise on a shelf formed as part of the refrigerator, the shelf having central openings thru which air currents can pass from the upper or ice compartment to the lower or food compartment.

Still further objects will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows a refrigerator provided with an ice rack of the invention.

Fig. '2 is a perspective view of the rack per se.

Fig. 3 is a detailed section of the rack.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the refrigerator is provided with an outer casing 10 and a vertical partition 12 separating various portions of the refrigerator to form compartments. Partition 12 is spaced from the upper and lower surfaces of the refrigerator to provide passages 14 and 16 for purposes to be described.

In the left hand compartment there is pro-' vided a shelf 18, rigidly secured to the refrigerator wall and to the partition 12, and having an opening 20 whose edges are formed by the up-' turned flanges 22 of the shelf. Disposed upon the shelf is the ice rack forming the invention and the latter will now be described in detail.

The ice rack includes a plurality of vertical fins 26 rigidly secured to one another bythe plates 28 and 30 in a manner to be described. Each fin is provided with sloping upper edge portions 32 and between them with an outwardly bent flange 34, the flanges 34 of all the fins being aligned to form a support to which may be welded or otherwise secured the plate 28. The latter has its marginal edges bent upwardly as at 36 substantially in line with the uppermost edge of the uppermost fins 26. a

The lower portion of each fin is cut away as at 38 to provide a seat within which the plate 30 may be disposed, the latter being secured by welding or otherwise to the lower edge 40 of the cut away portion 38. The plate 30 is suitably crowned for purposes to be described, its margins 42 being secured to the vertical edges 44 of the cut away portion 38 as will be observed.

Further, the fins on their lower edges, outside of the cut away portions 38, are provided with flanges 46 bent outwardly to form seats for the fins.

It will be seen that the end one of the fins 26 is reversed with respect to the remaining fins, its flanges 34 and 46 facing the flanges 34 and 46 of the adjacent fin 26, thus providing a rack which is free of outward projections on its ends.

The ice rack described in Fig. 2 is mounted on the shelf 18 so that the flanges 22 of the shelf opening 20 are disposed within the cut away portion 38. A block of ice, indicated at 50, is then placed upon the rack, its lower surface resting upon the upper edge of the fins and perhaps upon the plate 28.

The direction of the flow of air in the refrigerator as indicated by the arrows, is of importance in this construction. For instance, the air will flow from the upper portion of the right hand or food compartment, thru the passage 14, around and under the block of ice and then thru the passages'between the fins 26, a great proportion of the air coming in contact with the lower surface of the block. The air which has passed thru the passages between the fins then goes under the plate 30 and thru the opening 20 whereupon it enters the lower compartment, below the shelf 18, emerging from the same thru passage 16 into the right hand compartment.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a far more eflicient refrigerator construction has been provided, one which enables air currents to flow past and in contact with all of the surfaces of a block of ice, the air in its flow contacting with a greater proportion of the surface area of the block than would be the case with other constructions.

Further, the plate 28 serves to prevent water formed by the melting of the ice from going thru the opening 20, the water flowing on the plate 28 to the rear portion of the refrigerator and onto shelf 18 from where it escapes thru the drain pipe normally provided in and connected to such shelves.

Further, moisture condensed on the under surface of the top plate 28 will not drop thru the opening 20 but will flow down the crowned bottom plate to the shelf, then escaping to the drain It will further be observed that. therack described is strong and thoroughly capable of supporting a large block of ice. Since the plates are disposed edgewise, the stresses set up in them by the load will not tend to bend the plates but will be resisted by the shear resisting tendency of the plates.

It will-also be seen that the weight of the ice block causes the rack to cut grooves in the bottom surfaceof the block, the fins then entering the grooves. Since the fins aregenerally one or two degreeshigher in temperature than the ice, the fins cause the ice in contact with the surfaces of the fins to meet more quickly. Further the fins being of metal, conduct heat from the food compartments to the ice block very quickly, the heat being brought into contact- Iithi the surfaces of the grooves in the block,

thus effectively increasing the cooling surface of the block, as will be observed.

The result would be more or less like the result obtained by cutting a block of ice into a number of smaller blocks, whose combined weight is equal to the weight of the original block, but whose surface area greatly exceeds that of the original block.

Further, it will be seen from the foregoing that a small block of ice, say of 50 lbs. mounted on'my rack will melt much faster than it would take to melt the first 50 lbs. from a large block, mounted on racks now in use.

Now having described the invention and the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that the said invention is to be limited,

not to the specific details herein set forth, but I only by the scope of the claim which follows:

In an ice refrigerator construction, the combination of a shelf and an ice rack disposed above said shelf, the rack-including a plurality of relatively thin upstanding sheet metal portions, directly upon the upper edges of which a block of ice is adapted to rest, and trough-like plate connecting the tops of the sheet metal members but arranged below their highest portions and serving to rigidify the rack, to assist in supporting the ice block and to receive and conducting away the water formed by the melting thereof, whereby the spaces between the sheet metal members form passages open to the block of ice through which air may flow into contact with the under surface of the latter, and whereby the weight of the ice and the heat conductivity of the sheet metal supports tend to cause the latter to melt into the ice cake and thereby increase'the ease with which they can conduct heat thereinto.

RUSSELL T. SMITH. 

